Day 7 - Mon 8.30.10

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT (on a boat, beneath hundreds of well-fed birds)

Today day we woke up early for a 30 minute boat ride out to the Islas Ballestas, with a short stop at El Candelabro, the enormous carving of a three-pronged candelabrum found on the side of a sandy cliff that can only be seen from the water. It's origins are unknown, but theories of it's use range from alien landing strips to a tribute to San Martin (the Argentine general that liberated Peru in the early 1800's). Regardless, it is quite imposing.

Then we went to the islands themselves, gigantic white rocks rising out of nowhere and swarming with wildlife. To name a few, we saw penguins, sea lions , jumbo-pelicans (not their scientific name), seagulls and dozens of other types of



birds. The variety was really incredible, as was the generous layer of guano coating the entire islans complex. There is a company that devotes itself entirely to the collection of guano as fertilizer. They have men stationed on the islands year-round in 15-day shifts, shovelling poop and contemplating the state of their lives... As luck would have it, just as she was quitely celebrating the fact that she would leave the islands untouched by bird droppings, as if guided by Murphy himself, a jumbo pelican decided to give Victoria a jumbo parting gift. It is worth mentioning that she was the only person on the boat to enjoy the honor. We have a picture to prove it (see right).

Next was the Reserva Nacional. Several thousand hectares of sand dunes, marshes cliffs and beaches. Stunning and well worth the trip. Victoria found a sea lion vertebrae that she promptly pocketed, and Joseph enjoyed the best ceviche so far on the trip, despite the envious pelicans circling around us like vultures.

Oh, and that night we left our deceitful hostel for greener pastures across the street. We finally got our hot shower, and put ourselves to sleep watching Ed TV, a fine example of American film from the mid-nineties.

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Day 6 - Sun 8.29.10
THE ONLY LIVING PERUVIAN FLUTE BAND IN PARACAS

So we've spent the last 5 days dreaming, hoping, wondering when we would come across that elusive species of street musician: the Peruvian Flute Band. One so rarely has the chance to enjoy their insuff... I mean, beautiful music in the tunnels of the New York subway system. Indeed, it is quite rare that one would be acosted... i mean, graced by the angelic chirping of their sweet, sweet wooden flutes during the morning rush through Grand Central. So you might imagine our surprise when, just as we sat down for a beer on the waterfront of Paracas, one such ensemble magically appeared out of thin air and proceeded to annoy... I mean, serenade us for the next hour and a half until we reluctantly gave up 2 soles. Did you know that Paul Simon and The Beatles, among others, where stealing their material from Peruvian flute bands all along? We were utterly shocked when they broke out into a stirring rendition of "Hey Jude," and appalled that their authorship has been denied for so long. Shame on you, Paul.

Enough silliness. So today we arrived in Paracas, and within about 25 seconds had ourselves a room and two seats on a guided tour of the Islas Ballestas (according the Lonely Planet, the "poor man's Galapagos") and the Reserva Nacional de Paracas, a nature reserve featuring the areas amazing beaches, sand dunes and marshes. After a lovely drink and dinner on the boardwalk (please read the previous paragraph for details) we retired to our rooms with the promise of a hot shower.

Twenty minutes later, we sat on the bed, wet, with teeth clattering and tempers flaring. Peruvians lie. Or at least they do in Paracas.

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Day 5 - Sat 8.28.10

HOSANNA PUCUSANA

First up: a boat ride from our new fisherman friend Luis, through the harbor of Pucusana and out to view the wildlife. Sea lions, tons o' birds, jagged cliffs, awesome stuff. The sea lions (lobos marinos, as they are called) can be seen lounging in the back of this picture. Don´t be fooled by the placid smiles on our faces - we were deathly afraid of the boat smashing on the rocks...

Side note: there's nothing to see in Chilca. We went there. I don't know why. There are three muddy lagoons. Ringing in our ears during our brief visit were the wise words of our good friend Patrick Levin, also in reference to a visit to a pool of water with alleged healing properties:
¨that sucked more than I thought it would suck.¨ The redeeming part of the trip was the ride in the mototaxi with SpiderBatMan. Examine picture closely. Yes, it is SpiderBatMan.

And here we are on a cliff. Aren't we cute?

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Day 4 - Fri 8.27.10

EAT YOUR HEART OUT, ANTICUCHOS

We succesfully navigated the informal bus system that exists in Peru - flag it down, hop on - to get from Lima to Pucusana. A long ride out of town on a minibus, then waiting at the side of the Highway Panamericana for a bus to stop. 2 easy hours down the coast through the desert-like terrain of coastal Peru, then a mini-minibus from the highway to the coastal town of Pucusana. It´s a small fishing town with a beautiful harbor behind some giant rocky cliffs. We stayed up on a hill overlooking the whole thing at Hospeje Mirador, a guesthouse run by grandmother Elisabeth with the assistance of grandson Gustavo. Very cool people.

Dinner: some awesome grilled steak (¨anticuchos¨) and potatoes near the central square. As we were eating them, Joseph remarked to Victoria: ¨are we sure this isn't cow heart?¨ Victoria replied, ¨No, I don't think so.¨ However, Joseph had read the guidebook carefully. See the title of the day above for the startling revelation, confirmed by our hosts at the Mirador.